Ford Motor Company is issuing a vehicle defect recall for about 2,900 2010 model Ranger pickup trucks that are equipped with manual transmissions because of a problem with the parking brake, Consumeraffairs.com reports. Ford officials say the brake cable could become disconnected from the right rear actuator in cold weather, causing “excessive pedal travel” when the brake is applied. If the brake is not fully applied, the truck could roll away. When the recall begins later this month, dealers will install a revised brake actuator in the recalled vehicles. The pickup trucks involved in this recall were manufactured from June 8, 2009 through February 2, 2010. If you own one of these vehicles, please take them to your dealer to have them inspected.

Dangerous Auto Product Defects

Parking brake defects are not be taken lightly. These are extremely serious auto product liability issues that can even cause fatal car accidents or catastrophic injuries. Our firm has represented several clients in parking brake defect cases. We have seen many cases where an ineffective parking brake system can cause a vehicle to roll without warning and run over unsuspecting victims. Car accidents are also very likely.

Recently, auto product liability lawsuits related to parking brakes have received national attention. One of the cases was a class action lawsuit filed against General Motors by consumers who had to pay $500 each to replace these defective parking brakes. Another case in 2004 involved Hyundai, which recalled its minivans because of a defective parking brake cable in the Trajet XG models that were sold between 1999 and 2004.

Auto Product Liability Issues

Parking brake defects commonly occur in many vehicles due to problems during the manufacturing process. Unfortunately, a number of these defects are not found until the vehicles are put in the market. Sometimes, an auto maker will go ahead and put the vehicles in the market in spite of knowing about these vehicle defects. After all, for auto makers, it’s a lot cheaper to cover it up than spend millions of dollars recalling the vehicles or redesigning them for safety reasons.

If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of parking brake defects or any other auto product defect, please get in touch with an experienced personal injury lawyer, who will advise you about your legal rights and options. In any car accident case, it is always a good idea to preserve the vehicle so it can be carefully examined for auto product defects, mechanical malfunctions or other evidence.

What do you think government safety agencies can do better to hold auto makers accountable for defective vehicles?